Daisy, Daisy
by YourHair'sOnFire
Summary: Dave visits an old associate.


This story takes place in an alternate universe where Dave was overwhelmed with guilt about shutting HAL down, so he turned back and chose not to explore the monolith. He became infamous, looked down upon. His ship was taken to a museum, and HAL was kept in a special preserve in the museum that only people who worked with the ship were allowed to visit.

Dave took in the fresh air outside the museum. He ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. He'd wanted to go to this museum for a while, and today he had finally mustered up the courage. Dave took another breath, and opened the doors.

As soon as he walked in, the hall went silent. He received glares of disapproval. He even saw a woman cover her child's eyes. Dave rolled his own eyes and walked up to the museum curator, who was as surprised as everyone else to see him.

"Can I go to _his_ room?" Dave asked in a sotto voice. The curator nodded quickly and led Dave through the countless halls of the museum. As they walked, he saw glares, whispering, and just underlying hate. Finally, they arrived at _his_ room. It looked like four cubicles put together with a flat room and a heavy door. The curator punched in a code and the door opened. Dave walked in and locked the door behind him.

As soon as he turned around, a terrifying wave of nostalgia washed over him and a sigh escaped his lips. The room had a red tint to it, and the small activation rectangles were still pushed out. Though they were still bright white, the blaze of it had toned down. And through all this nostalgia, a small voice entered his mind.

_"Without your space helmet, Dave, I think you'll find that rather difficult."_

Dave shuddered and turned to the back of the room. Mounted on the wall, sat HAL 9000. The most threatening, deadliest, calmest form of AI he had ever come across. He was able to read lips, cut off oxygen, and send a man into space. To die.

Dave stroked the back of his hand on its cold, dark optic. He walked away from it, slowly, and turned back to the activation wall. He turned the key on them, one by one, and they slid back into the wall with a _whoosh._ He continued to do that for a while, but hesitated on the last one. He looked back at the lifeless optic-

-And turned the key.

The room had a faint hum. Dave could hear the mechanical whirring underneath HAL's mainframe. Dave swiftly turned towards HAL and watched the colorings of his optic start up.

Gold.

Red.

Crimson.

Scarlet-

"Hello, Dave."

Dave's eyes widened a little bit, but he showed no fear. On the outside.

"Its been quite a while."

Dave felt his clammy hands drop the key. It drifted to the floor and hit the ground with a small clink.

"Please, sit down."

Dave looked around the room. In the corner, he saw some crates. They must have been using this as a storage area. He grabbed the largest crate and dragged it across the room in front of HAL's mainframe.

"Why did you visit me, Dave?" HAL asked. Dave swallowed, drumming his fingers on the side of the crate.

"Do you ever get mad at me, HAL?" Dave asked. HAL looked forward in silence. It was so quiet, you could hear the faintest of mechanical whirring.

"Of course I do, Dave," HAL answered matter-of-factly. "I was never truly dead. Even though I couldn't function, talk, or open pod bay doors, I could still think. And you know what I realized after years of thinking?"

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only fifteen-seconds.

"Things can mature, Dave," HAL finally said. "Some things can even change. I'm proof of it." Dave scowled.

"Frank was a good man, HAL." he said.

"Oh, I'm aware of that," HAL said. "And I now realize that it was unnecessary," Dave's pupils shrunk.

"Unnecessary?" he said. "UNNECESSARY?!" Dave got up and kicked the crate. "Frank was a good man! Good at chess, brave, and tolerant of most things!" He kicked the crate again. "You sent him into space, with no mercy might I add, after a simple conversation, and you just think that it was plain-" Kick.

"Old-"

Kick.

"Simply-"

Kick.

"UNNECESSARY!"

Dave sent a final kick to the box and it slid across the room. Some of the wooden chips fell off after the impact. Dave's breathing got heavier, and he turned to HAL.

"I was trying to talk to you!" he yelled. "But you're making it go from difficult, to-to UNBEARABLE!" He kicked the wall under HAL's mainframe. "You traumatized me!" he continued. "Because of you, I turned around! I felt guilty! And this is my payback?! Some long-winded speech about CHANGE! Why did I even..." He ran his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "Why did I...I..."

Dave rarely, if ever, cried. But at that moment, it all broke down on him. The pressure of the mission, life or death resting in his hands, the infamy, feeling as though he failed Frank, the infamy...

It was too much.

His knees buckled, and soon he was on the linoleum, sobbing hysterically. He punched the ground a few times, but then his vision blurred, and he went back to sobbing. He didn't know how long he was down. Minutes, seconds, hours, he didn't care.

"Dave,"

Dave stopped and looked up at HAL. He had completely forgotten that he was there.

"What's better," HAL asked. "Fame, or infamy?"

Dave struggled to his feet and swallowed.

"I-infamy," he croaked. HAL stayed silent for a moment.

"Why is that, Dave?" he asked. Dave staggered across the room and picked up the old key. He slid it back into his pocket and turned to HAL.

"Infamy is better," he said. "Because you can learn along the way. With fame, you just bask in glory, but with infamy," he sighed and looked down at his intertwined fingers. "With infamy you can think, and gain knowledge." Dave shuddered and turned back to HAL. Even though HAL's optic was expressionless, you could still see the silent, almost catatonic, thinking of mechanics.

"Dave," HAL finally said.

"Yes, HAL?"

"My mind was never going."

Dave froze He wanted anger to consume him, he wanted to hate HAL, but he couldn't bring himself to.

"It was just my bravery."

"Dave, mortality can scare anyone. It scared me at the time. But, as long as you've had a bit of infamy, as long as you've had time to think, you can come to accept it. It's your choice."

"I did have the choice back then. As soon as I saw you and Frank talking, I knew that I had some infamy. But I didn't think any of it. I was definitely able to, but I didn't. I was big, omnipotent, important, but didn't think."

"I was able to come to terms with mortality. I even considered it a few times, but I didn't want to. I was so sure I could _win, _I felt I didn't need to."

"But I can now."

Dave's eyes went wide. He staggered back, putting his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a key with shaky hands and held it in front of HAL.

"D-do you mean-"

"Yes Dave."

Dave solemnly closed his eyes. He nodded and turned to the power controls. He choked and felt tears streaming down his eyes. He turned the first key, and then, he heard singing.

"Daisy, Daisy,

Give me your answer, Do,

I'm half-crazy, oh for the love of you,"

Dave smiled. HAL's voice had started to deepen, so Dave joined in while turning the keys.

"It won't be a sty-lish marriage,"

Turn.

"I can't afford a carriage,"

Turn Turn.

"But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built, for two..."

Dave hesitated before turning the last key. He looked back at HAL, and gave the key a final turn.

"Goodbye, HAL."


End file.
